House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Jun 2008 (pt 0008)

24 Jun 2008 : Column 190W—continued

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many consolatory payments have been made by his Department to next of kin contacted by the Department or an agency acting on its behalf to recover overpayments of benefits following the death of a claimant in each year since 1997 for which information is available; [211211]

(2) how many complaints his Department has received from people contacted about recovering benefit overpayments following the death of a claimant. [211217]

Mr. Plaskitt: This information is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Stroud

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people are signing on for benefits by telephone at the Stroud JobcentrePlus office who were in the catchment area of the previous Dursley JobcentrePlus office; [212271]

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(2) how many people who are signing on for benefits at the Stroud JobcentrePlus office, and who are based in the catchment area of the previous Dursley JobcentrePlus office are receiving help with travelling expenses. [212272]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 19 June 2008]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 24 June 2008:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many people are signing on for benefits by telephone at the Stroud Jobcentre Plus office who were in the catchment area of the previous Dursley Jobcentre Plus office and how many people signing on for benefits at the Stroud Jobcentre Plus office and who are based in the catchment area of the previous Dursley Jobcentre Plus office are receiving help with travel expenses. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Stroud Jobcentre Plus does not have any telephone signers on their register, we do not allow customers to sign for benefits by telephone.

Current legislation does not provide for the reimbursement of fares to Jobseeker’s Allowance customers for their normal fortnightly attendance. There are circumstances in which it is unreasonable to expect people to attend the Jobcentre and where reimbursement of travel expenses is appropriate. For example when they have been asked to attend on a weekly basis or when their signing day has been changed at short notice.

We do have provision to allow customers to maintain their claim by post if it is felt unreasonable to expect them to attend the office in person. There are currently no postal signers at the Stroud Jobcentre Plus office.

Television

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) commissioning and (b) funding the production of television programmes (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in 2008-09 to date; what programmes these were; and which companies made them. [213501]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department has not spent any money commissioning or funding the production of television programmes in the last three years, and to date in 2008-09.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 177497 on pension credit and pension guarantee credit, tabled by the hon. Member for Hendon on 7 January 2008. [183070]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 29 January 2008]: I replied to my hon. Friend’s question on 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 254W.

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to Question 189633, tabled on 22 February 2008, on TICC Ltd. [202667]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 29 April 2008]: I replied to my hon. Friend’s question on 13 June 2008, Official Report, column 624W.

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Health

Abortion

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information he has on the number of partial birth abortions performed in each primary care trust in the last year for which figures are available; and what the (a) length of gestation of the pregnancy and (b) the reason for the abortion was in each of those cases; [212417]

(2) if he will introduce legislation to ban the use of partial birth abortion in late pregnancy; what discussions he has had with the medical profession about this method of abortion; what representations he has received since January 2007 about the issue; and if he will make a statement. [212447]

Dawn Primarolo: We are not aware of the procedure referred to as ‘partial-birth abortion’ being used in Great Britain.

It is the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ belief that this form of abortion is never used as a primary or pro-active technique.

There are no plans to introduce legislation to ban this procedure.

The Department has approximately five letters from members of the public on this issue since January 2007.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines on the publication of abortion statistics have been produced by (a) his Department and (b) the Office for National Statistics; who was consulted prior to the finalisation of these guidelines; if he will place a copy of these guidelines in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [212445]

Dawn Primarolo: In 2005, the Department asked the National Statistician to produce guidance on the disclosure of health statistics, including abortion statistics.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) chaired the project board with representatives from ONS (business areas, methodology, legal services), the Department, East Region Public Health Observatory, Information Centre for Health and Social Care, Welsh Assembly Government, NHS Scotland and Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety. There was also a public consultation.

Guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics was published by ONS in July 2005 and the health statistics guidance in October 2006, copies of which have been placed in the Library. The abortion guidance is currently being reviewed by ONS and any revisions will be in line with the generic health guidance and the Government Statistical Service Statistics Disclosure Control policy.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many abortions took place in (a) NHS hospitals and ( b) non-NHS hospitals or institutions at (i) 23, (ii) 24, (iii) 25, (iv) 26, (v) 27, (vi) 28, (vii) 29, (viii) 30 and (ix) 31 weeks period of gestation in each year since 1991; and if he will make a statement; [212448]

(2) on what grounds each abortion took place in (a) NHS hospitals and (b) non-NHS hospitals or institutions at (i) 23, (ii) 24, (iii) 25, (iv) 26, (v) 27, (vi) 28, (vii) 29, (viii) 30 and (ix) 31 weeks period of
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gestation in each year since 1991; and if he will make a statement. [212449]

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Dawn Primarolo: The information is shown in the followings tables.

Abortions by gestation 23-31 weeks, grounds and place of termination, residents of England and Wales, 1991 to 2007
23 weeks gestation^{( 1)}	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
National health service hospitals^{( 2)}
Section 1 (1)(a) and other grounds except section 1 (1)(d)	⁽³⁾46	11	⁽⁴⁾62	15	16	14	10	13	14	12	⁽⁵⁾78	⁽⁶⁾98	17	11	13	⁽⁷⁾128	29
Section 1 (1)(d)	⁽³⁾—	37	⁽⁴⁾—	45	57	65	61	72	86	90	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁶⁾—	107	100	102	⁽⁷⁾—	87

Non NHS place
Section 1(1)(a) and other	309	215	255	237	218	297	304	346	379	373	433	435	406	352	221	382	325
Total 23 weeks	355	263	317	297	291	376	375	431	479	475	511	533	530	463	336	510	441

24 to 31 weeks gestation	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
NHS hospital^{( 8)}
Section 1(1)(d)^{( 9)}
24	34	31	25	26	39	21	24	11	25	22	24	33	41	41	38	34	29
25	18	15	21	23	11	27	10	12	20	20	21	19	22	21	26	22	23
26⁽²⁾	⁽¹⁰⁾24	⁽¹¹⁾11	⁽¹²⁾21	20	10	16	20	⁽¹³⁾18	⁽¹⁴⁾13	13	⁽¹⁸⁾21	11	⁽¹⁹⁾24	⁽²⁰⁾20	⁽²¹⁾29	⁽²²⁾24	⁽²³⁾25
27⁽²⁾	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹¹⁾—	⁽¹²⁾—	6	4	7	6	⁽¹³⁾—	⁽¹⁴⁾—	8	⁽¹⁸⁾—	10	⁽¹⁹⁾—	⁽²⁰⁾—	⁽²¹⁾—	⁽²²⁾—	⁽²³⁾—
28⁽²⁾	⁽¹⁵⁾14	⁽¹⁶⁾14	⁽¹⁷⁾13	10	11	9	3	5	7	9	8	⁽²⁴⁾25	⁽²⁵⁾27	⁽²⁶⁾24	⁽²⁷⁾20	⁽²⁸⁾22	⁽²⁹⁾35
29⁽²⁾	⁽¹⁵⁾—	⁽¹⁶⁾—	⁽¹⁷⁾—	8	5	7	7	6	3	2	4	⁽²⁴⁾—	⁽²⁵⁾—	⁽²⁶⁾—	⁽²⁷⁾—	⁽²⁸⁾—	⁽²⁹⁾—
30⁽²⁾	⁽¹⁵⁾—	⁽¹⁶⁾—	⁽¹⁷⁾—	3	2	6	1	4	4	7	4	⁽²⁴⁾—	⁽²⁵⁾—	⁽²⁶⁾—	⁽²⁷⁾—	⁽²⁸⁾—	⁽²⁹⁾—
31⁽²⁾	⁽¹⁵⁾—	⁽¹⁶⁾—	⁽¹⁷⁾—	2	5	1	3	5	3	3	5	⁽²⁴⁾—	⁽²⁵⁾—	⁽²⁶⁾—	⁽²⁷⁾—	⁽²⁸⁾—	⁽²⁹⁾—
⁽¹⁾ Includes 24 weeks and 0 days. ⁽²⁾ Where section 1(1)(a) of the Abortion Act 1967 is grouped with other grounds, and where gestations are grouped, all totals for other grounds and gestations are less than 10 and have not been previously published. This suppression is in line with the Office for National Statistics’ guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005). ⁽⁸⁾ All abortions at 24 weeks and over are performed in NHS hospitals. ⁽⁹⁾ For gestations of 24 weeks and over, totals may include a very small number of abortions carried out under section 1(1)(b), section 1(1)(c) and section 1(4). Section 1 (1)(a): that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. Section 1 (1)(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. Other grounds includes: Section 1(1)(b): that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. Section 1 (1)(c): that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated. Section 1 (1)(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. Section 1 (4): that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

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